Hunting on Small Acreages

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The world is shrinking Hunting seems to cost more and more each year . Hunting

lease prices in Texas have sky rocketed in recent years. Anyone with a small acreage is

tempted to hunt on his own property. The prices are cheaper and the up side to this

situation is that you can build permanent fixtures on your property to make your hunt easier.

Permanent stands can be built. Housing can be established for your comfort that could

never happen on a lease. I like comfort. Electricity is nice. Air conditioning and heaters are

even better. I have erected a hunting lodge on my place that will accommodate up to six

people. It has comfortable beds and a television to watch in case the Cowboys are having a

game during the hunting experience. I have a refrigerator and a freezer installed. A futon that

makes into a bed is another add on that works. A microwave oven and an electric grill make

life that much easier.

Roughing it in the outdoors can be accomplished by time spent in blinds either by freezing

or burning up The sweat caused by 95 degree temperatures add to the creativity. It seems

that mosquitoes really like and are attracted to sweat. Being used as a human pin cushion

is no ones idea of luxury. If that is not roughing it I do not know what is. Walking through

calf high water could also be labeled as roughing it in the outdoors. Roughing it has its

limits. I had my fill of roughing it during my tour in the Army. Comfort has its own rewards.

A rested and fresh hunter is a hunter prepared for any situation.

If you think that just because you own that stretch of earth that you can have privacy think

again. On one hunt with my son I was told to look in a certain direction. I looked and what I

saw amazed me. There was a hunter on my property aiming at my deer feeder with his rifle

and preparing to use that feeder as target practice. Maybe that was the only thing he had

seen all day.

Hunting on one’s own property can be beneficial. As years go by you can almost tell where

the deer are going to be at any given time. You don’t have to spend time scouting through

the woods with the probable outcome of sending every deer on your place onto the next

property. If you get bored the neighbor across the road can come over and remind you of

your promise to cut him a cord of firewood. It is November and the temperatures have

dropped into the 50’s. Too cold to survive much longer without the benefit of firewood and a

wood stove. Other neighbors that come to call can remind you that their ninety-eight year

old mother disapproves of the gunshots. She would appreciate it if you did not fire your rifle

any more this year. One neighbor reported me to the game and fish commission. I had

hunted on an adjoining ranch and shot a beautiful mature axis deer. Since the deer had

spots she believed it to be a fawn and reported me to the authorities. Everything has its ups

and downs. The only thing left for me to do is to build a high fence around my property. The

idea is not to keep the deer in but the neighbors out. Enjoy your deer hunting experience

this year.

Steve Graham is an avid hunter and fisherman and shares his experiences and opinions through articles he writes.